SOCIALLY ENGAGED AWARD

RECIPIENT • Anna Mia Davidson - American Muslim
JUROR • Jeffrey Henson Scales • Photography Editor, The New York Times

"People are always surprised that I kick box. Part of that is because my hijab is the only thing that defines who I am to people. Even though it's a conscious choice, and I make it to present myself as visually Muslim, I think it's good to remember t
“I love going to bookstores and Cafes and reading books, thats when I feel like I can disappear from the world. I can read a book and feel like I’m inside that book like I’m in an alternate universe. I can escape whatever I’m feeling or going through
Sisters: “I want to be seen in America as a person, a human being, who’s funny and very creative. All of us Muslims are bunched into one big group, but Muslims are very different [from one another]. Everyone has different passions, different ways of
"I am really passionate about my trumpet, being in band and music. I started in the fifth grade and it has been a huge part of my life ever since. I want to be seen just as anybody else. I am Muslim but I am also an American. I've grown up here, I've
"I want to join Doctors Without Borders and help other people around the globe. I would like to be seen as an independent Muslim woman that does not depend on a male figure and is not oppressed. I want to be seen as someone who has influence and can
"I want to be seen in America as someone kind, someone who positively influences the people around them. Contributing to the betterment of society, just a normal person in America, trying to live life, who just happens to be Muslim, it’s just a spiri
“One of my biggest passions is volunteerism. Something that grounds us all is basic human needs. It’s a form of connection. A lot of the issues we are facing today are because people don’t understand each other. If we have a human connection, we can
"I strive to be seen as any other person. Just because I wear the hijab doesn't mean I'm different. There's a lot of stereotypes around it, the hijab is not a defining factor. My passion is a way to live life, being kind and helpful, helping the worl
“One of my passions is making videos. A lot of the videos I make are outdoors when I go hiking. It’s fun to create something and relive it when I edit it later. I want to be seen as American. The culture and the news that we are surrounded by has ali
“My biggest passion in life is really making a difference in my country (in America), and in the world, by changing the narrative about American Muslims, about Immigrants, and People of Color. Especially as we are in this heightened climate of xenoph
"I want to be viewed as someone who is not dangerous, like everyone else, even though my faith is different" -Aniya
“I hope to be seen in a way that paves the way to make people feel comfortable and heard. I am a community builder, bringing people together is what matters most. Being kind really makes the world go around. I’m glad to be the person I’ve grown to be
“I played Tennis in High School. Tennis is a really good stress reliever. I also do meditation and yoga. I meditate every morning. It helps me become more present in the moment. I’m also a writer, it helps me process my thoughts, it’s an amazing crea
"I've grown up on this farm. It has served as a bonding thing for me and my family. Blueberry farming is very calming and relaxing. I would like to be seen as somebody who is very confident. Generally it is a stereotype that Muslim women should be ve
“I want to be seen as American. The culture and the news that we are surrounded by has alienated Muslims. I want to be seen as everyone else is, as normal. I’m just regular like everyone else.” -Rabail

  • Since the 2017 U.S. Muslim Ban, this color photographic portrait project has aimed to challenge negative stereotypes and biases, foster understanding, and promote social change. As an American Jewish woman and photographic artist, I feel a strong sense of moral responsibility to shed light on humanity and build bridges cross culturally. This body of work seeks to shift the narrative surrounding American Muslim women by showcasing diverse passions and talents; kickboxing, neuroscience, farming, music, Skateboarding and more, through compelling visual color photographic portraits paired with personal interview texts. Each woman featured shares her own words on how she wishes to be seen and what she hopes people will understand about her identity. The work is situated in a tradition of socially engaged photography. While deeply personal, the work also dialogues with broader histories of misunderstood communities, women, and the careful relationship between Jewish and Muslim women, coming together in the name of art and finding common ground, challenging the viewer to confront their own position within these narratives.

    In this historical moment marked by xenophobia, war in the Middle East, polarization, hate crimes, and disconnect, this work aims to carve out a space for connection, reflection, and is deeply human. A body of work dedicated to the commitment to visual experimentation, critical engagement, and emotional resonance. American Muslim is an invitation to reconsider the boundaries between pre-conceived notions and new found understandings and ultimately bring this under-represented subject into the artistic foreground.

  • Getting to judge the amazing collection of projects submitted to the Center’s Socially Engaged Award was an inspiring look at an incredibly wide variety of contemporary photographic artists addressing the mission of creating a body of work that is truly socially engaging. It was not easy to narrow these down to the half dozen or so that were at top of my list, and even harder to settle on just one. 

    Ultimately the project, “American Muslim,” was the project that I felt wove together the strongest use of the collaborative tools of cross-cultural social engagement. The beauty of compelling documentary photographic practice, along with the prominence of the subject’s own voices included front and center is seamless and makes for a well-crafted and thorough presentation.

    At this moment in America’s narrative arc are there aren’t many more important issues than the understanding and acceptance of the full diversity of modern America and the world. With Islamophobia on the rise, ‘American Muslim’ pushes the viewer to engage and see these American women for what they are as Americans. ‘American Muslim’ presents a much-needed counter narrative arc than that of the xenophobic, misogynist, and racist narrative of the current government’s course.

    ‘American Muslim’ utilizes the photographic lens and first-person narrative interview quotes to illuminate American Muslim women from the millennial and Gen-Z generations, placing them into the artistic and socially engaged foreground honestly, elegantly and without artifice. 

    This project beautifully presents a positive narrative of American women who are of the Islamic faith in photographs and words by presenting their diversity, passions and talents, like, kickboxing, neuroscience, farming, music, Skateboarding, community service and so many more. 

    The subjects themselves own voices sum up so much of what so strong about them, as well as this project. 

    ‘Amna’ states, "I strive to be seen as any other person. Just because I wear the hijab doesn't mean I'm different. There's a lot of stereotypes around it, the hijab is not a defining factor.” 

    Or another,Rimsha, “I would like to be seen as an independent Muslim woman that does not depend on a male figure and is not oppressed.”

    The artist, a Jewish woman has succeeded in so many of her intents with this project and in her own words sums up her intent to address another pressing global issue, “While deeply personal, the work also dialogues with broader histories of misunderstood communities, women, and the careful relationship between Jewish and Muslim women, coming together in the name of art and finding common ground, challenging the viewer to confront their own position within these narratives…”  

    Bravo!

    — Jeffrey Henson Scales • Photography Editor, The New York Times

  • Archival Pigment Prints 36" x 42”

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